This device is related to the field of displaying any sort of card in a cardholder or billfold or portfolio or other item construction. The objective of this device is to provide a simple method whereby an item having interior fabric pockets or lining materials may be constructed by the interweaving of the materials out of which the item is constructed thereby producing a neat, clean appearance for the display of any sort of card while at the same time providing positive location of the card pocket and reinforcing the structure of the item in which the pocket assembly is used. The inventor knows of no prior art which either teaches or reveals the invention disclosed herein.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,619,543 (R. H. Rolfs et al) discloses a billfold having a transparent pocket. Parts are shown as held in place and then stitched together. It discloses a single piece construction in that the billfold itself or rather the billfold material is one piece that is folded and then stitched. No interweaving of parts is disclosed. No method for interweaving of the parts is disclosed nor is any fusing disclosed.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,684,737 (C. L'Enfant) discloses a card case and method for making same. The card case discloses multiple windows which are used to display different cards. In essence the patent discloses extending of celluloid, forming the windows of the card case, through the entire length of the device. The patent discloses formation of two celluloid windows from a single strip of material. The patent discloses mitering of the folded corners of the celluloid material and also indicates that cards may be examined on either side without removal from the card case. The side edges of the case are stitched and not fused. The joined edges are taught to be, preferably, perforated to facilitate the folding of the parts into proper position. Essentially the celluloid windows form the leaves of a book. There is no interweaving of materials taught or suggested by L'Enfant. The celluloid windows are shown as being connected or slipping through a central dividing point of the billfold; which then forms the binding of the billfold.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,384,199 (Sherwood) discloses a billfold which is constructed out of a single piece of material wholly devoid of stitching. The folds are designed to allow the billfold to be constructed by inserting tabs into various parts of the billfold to create the construction. The tabs are specifically identified as reenforcing the structure of the billfold. Each tab, after being put in place, is cemented in place. Again fusing is not specifically disclosed nor is the interweaving of the materials.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,431,472 (Fistell) discloses a patent for a folding holder for papers. The papers described are maps and the like. The patent does not disclose fusing or the use of slits to allow interweaving of the materials. The foldability of the device is the primary feature. A back portion of the Fistell invention is provided with cutouts to form frames. However these cutouts are different from our slits in that, again, no interweaving is disclosed to show the formation of the pockets. Clear material is used to occupy the cutout area. The space sheets forming the face of the holder are cellophane or a plastic polymerized vinyl compound. This means that the fabric used is coated however no fusing or welding of the materials is indicated or taught. Certainly the method of weaving through slits is not revealed.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,452,096 (Bertalotto) discloses a combined a billfold and card retainer. The major purpose of this invention is to provide a novel combined billfold and card retainer which will have a pair of compartments, separate from each other, intended for the reception of documents or whatever the user wishes to put in them. A further goal is to allow a substantial portion of the cards held by this billfold to be seen. This patent does not discuss interweaving of materials by the use of slits cut in the material. Overlapping of pockets is disclosed but this overlapping is not the same as the interweaving of the two materials through the slits. Rather this is an overlapping of the card pockets so that one portion of a card will slide down another portion of a card as it is held in this billfold. The interweaving method and structure are not disclosed.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,535,387 (Broughton) discloses a billfold that is adapted to receive a removable pass case. This device shows a bridging wall construction. There are two structures disclosed: a first structure that is a billfold that is designed to be folded together by the use of tabs which slide into slits to construct the billfold, and a second structure, a pass case, which may then be attached to the formed billfold again by the use of tabs which are placed in slits. No interweaving of these two parts is shown. They are merely connected by the tabs. Fusing of the parts is not disclosed. Essentially the two parts interlock with each other by means of the tabs.
Accordingly, the use of tabs to interlock two parts of a billfold is taught but the use of slits to interweave two materials to form pockets in a billfold is not taught. The pockets are not formed by the interlocking of the two parts. The folding of the billfold creates a structure having pockets but it is not done, at all, in the same manner as the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,403,507 (Davio) discloses a billfold. The major feature of this device is the use of expandable pockets. The specifically disclosed objective of this invention is to provide a billfold which can be constructed of a unitary blank to form one or more expandable pockets without the use of stitching, adhesive or the like. The blank of this invention that is used to form the billfold is designed to fold up so that its tabs will be received in slits at specific portions on the blank. This folding process creates the billfold. This invention discloses the use of flaps that are folded upon portions 8 of the billfold and that are folded also upon interportions of the billfold in order to provide expandable superimposed pockets. The tabs do not define the pocket form by interaction with the slit contours. This is different from the interweaving structure of the present invention. This patent further discloses that portions 8 may be cut out to provide a window in the expandable pocket and that the window may be provided with a transparent sheet which may be retained in place by a flap that is folded inwardly over the end of the sheet. Again this entire structure is directed towards the use of folds and tabs to create the structure of a bill fold. No fusing or interweaving of the parts in disclosed and in fact the use of adhesives is specifically taught away from in this invention. No interweaving of separate materials to form the billfold is disclosed.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,777,494 (Anderson) discloses a billfold structure. Again this billfold structure is chiefly noted for having expandable pockets. Again this patent discloses the use of tongues inserted into slits to interlock these specific parts of the structure of the billfolds but not to interact with slits to define pocket forms. The tongues are glued in position on the inner side of the panel 16 in the manner shown in FIG. 8. The layers of material in some parts of the structure are stitched together. However, it is apparent that no interweaving or fusing of materials is disclosed by this patent.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 3,565,148 (Miller) discloses a multiple pocket wallet. The invention is a wallet of thin flexible material for credit cards and the like. The wallet is formed from three panels to provide two rows of pockets separated by a longitudinal fold line. A transverse fold line extends across the middle of the wallet between adjacent pockets to allow the wallet to be folded along one of the fold lines and then along the other fold line into a convenient size for carrying in a person's pocket. Heat sealing or fusing one panel to another is disclosed by Miller. It is further disclosed that these transverse "weld lines" help to strengthen the fold lines. The panels are disclosed as lying on opposite sides of each other. Further the use of weld lines to give a stitched appearance is disclosed. This is disclosed as is "common in plastic goods of this sort". However the interweaving of materials to form the pockets is not disclosed. Neither are the use of slits disclosed.